note: Not God was written summer 2014 and revised summer 2016. I, like any student of evolutionary biology, am informed by Charles Darwin's insight, which includes that there is no hierarchy or ultimate aim in species evolution. So, I do not think elephant more advanced than human beings any more than I think humans more advanced than any other species, or some humans more advanced than other humans. What I see are differences. With mammals, mostly I consider how the child is raised, whether or not the child develops within the context of healthy bonds. And when I consider the evolution of human consciousness, I think in terms of revolution. Consciousness is non-linear, non-hierarchical, and universal. The mind experiences varying expressions of consciousness and the mind can be trained, even mastered to a degree. Ideally, the varying experiences are fluid and the resting state is tranquil.

There has been an overall devolution of the human mind and thus the human expression of consciousness through generations of inborn and imposed insecurities that lend to obsession with material form and the accumulation of material wealth. Underlying this is not merely the attraction to beautiful objects, an attraction which in itself is not harmful, but a fear of non-existence reinforced by a culture that applauds material gain at the expense of morality.

The impression that we're seeing an evolution or advancement in human consciousness is thus understandable. Yet for the sake of protecting the origins of consciousness in human beings and other species, it's imperative to understand that what we're seeing is a return to the tribal mind, which allows no member to go hungry and homeless while recognizing itself part of a larger community in which everyone is fed. This enlightened mind has been necessary for human survival from the start and roots in the South African Ubuntu wisdom. For it's humility and ultimate appreciation of mystery, the tribal mind, this cultivated inner space, is humanity's greatest achievement. Much less is the manufacture of machines that travel to outer space and those that destroy Earth's biodiverse embodied consciousness.